Casket bed

ABSTRACT

A SIMPLIFIED CASKET BED STRUCTURE COMPRISES TOW LONGITUDINAL U-SHAPED FRAME MEMBERS OF TUBULAR STOCK. THE ENDS OF THE ARMS OF THE MEMBERS ARE ADJUSTABLY SECURED TOGETHER BY BARS INSERTED THEREIN, ONE END OF EACH BAR BEING WELDED OR OTHERWISE PERMANENTLY SECURED TO THE ARM OF ONE MEMBER WHILE THE OTHER END IS SLIDABLY ENGAGED WITH THE CORRESPONDING ARM OF THE OTHER MEMBER. VERTICAL BRACKETS HAVING HOOK SLOTS ARE PROVIDED ON THE END WALLS OF THE CASKET TO SUPPORT THE FRAME MEMBERS. LATERAL U-SHAPED RODS HAVING THEIR TIP ENDS BENT DOWNWARDLY ARE CANTILEVERLY SUPPORTED BY INSERTING THE TIP ENDS IN APERTURES OF THE TUBULAR MEMBERS. ADDITIONAL BED LENGTHS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY ADDING U-SHAPED EXTENSION MEMBERS TO ONE END OR TO BOTH ENDS OF THE ASSEMBLED BED. THESE EXTENSION MEMBERS ARE PROVIDED WITH INTURNED TIPS WHICH REGISTER WITH APERTURES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF EACH LONGITUDINAL FRAME MEMBER.

M-arch 9, 1.971 I w. R. CARSON, JR

CASKET BED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June "i 1968 INVENTOR WILLIAM R. CARSON JR.

' ATTORNEY Mau'chQ, 1971 w. CARSON, JR

CASKET BED 'Filed June '2. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet I INVENTOR WILLIAM R. CARSON JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 01 iice 3,568,275 Patented Mar. 9, 1 971 US. Cl. 27--'12 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A simplified casket bed structure comprises two longitudinal U-shaped frame members of tubular stock. The ends of the arms of the members are adjustably secured together by bars inserted therein, one end of each bar being welded or otherwise permanently secured to the arm of one member while the other end is slidably engaged with the corresponding arm of the other member. Vertical brackets having hook slots are provided on the end walls of the casket to support the frame members. Lateral U-shaped rods having their tip ends bent downwardly are cantileverly supported by inserting the tip ends in apertures of the tubular members. Additional bed lengths can be achieved by adding U-shaped extension members to one end or to both ends of the assembled bed. These extension members are provided with inturned tips which register with apertures on opposite sides of each longitudinal frame member.

This invention relates to caskets and it is more particularly concerned with bed structures on the interior of caskets.

An object of the invention is the provision of a simplified bed structure for the interior of caskets.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a bed structure which is adjustable lengthwise to accommodate different positions and different lengths of the bed.

A further object is the provision of a bed structure having a small number of basic parts from which different sizes of beds may be constructed.

A still fruther object is the provision of a casket bed structure which is light in Weight yet sturdy and secure in its assembled form.

These and still further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description considered together with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a casket containing an embodiment of the invention, portions of the casket walls being broken away to expose the interior structure.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with parts broken away, illustrating a further modification of the invention.

FIG. FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the lateral support members.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of the longitudinal extension members.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing in which like numerals designate like parts, the invention is illustrated in conjunction with a conventional casket 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of having a bottom wall 11, side walls 12 and 13, end walls 14 and 15 and a lid 16.

To the end walls 14 and 15 there are secured pairs of vertical brackets 17, 17 and 18, 18, respectively. Each bracket comprises a series of hook slots 19', 19 and 20, 20 for engaging tubular ends 21 and 22 respectively of the bed.

The bed comprises a pair of hollow tubular U-shaped members 23 and 24 which are connected together by means of inner bars 25 and 26 disposed in the ends of the U-shaped members. The end 27 of one bar 25 is secured to one of the arms 28 of the U-shaped member 23, such as by soldering or welding while the end 29 of the other bar 26 is secured to the opposite arm 30 of the other U-shaped member 24. By these means the U- shaped members 23 and 24- are identical and can be assembled together by simply over-turning one relative to another.

The opposite ends 31 and 32 of the bars 25 and 26 are slidably disposed in the corresponding ends of the arms 33 and 34 of the U-shaped members. This furnishes a degree of longitudinal adjustment of the tubular members in assembled position thereby permitting disposition between any of the slots 19, 19 of brackets 17, 17 and any of the slots 20, 20 of the brackets 18, 18 to provide a bed in either a horizontal position or in one of different sloping positions. See FIG. 1.

Each arm of the tubular members 23 and 24 is provided with a lateral support member 35 in the form of a U-shaped piece of steel rod. The arms 36 and 37 are provided with downwardly turned tips 38 and 39, respectively, which are adapted to engage vertical apertures 40 and 41, respectively, in the arms of the tubular members. The support members 35 are, therefore, held in a horizontal plane cantileverwise.

Where additional lengths of bed are required, such as for extra length caskets, extension members 42 are provided in the form of U-shaped steel rods. The tip ends 43 and 44 of the arms 45 and 46 of the rod 42 are inwardly bent to engage apertures 47 and 48 in the arms of the U-shaped tubular members 23 and 24. Using members 42 at either end of the bed provides for maximum extension as shown in FIG. 2. However, using only one member 42 at one end provides for intermediate extension as shown in FIG. 3.

From the above it will be understood that the invention permits the construction of a casket bed with only four different parts, namely, (1) four identical brackets 17-18; (2) two identical U-shaped members 23-24 with connecting bars 2526 secured thereto; (3) four identical lateral support members 35; and (4) two identical extension members 43. Thus, with a very few parts a multiplicity of situations can be provided for by this invention with great simplicity.

I claim:

1. A casket bed in combination with a casket cornprising longitudinally disposed U-shaped frame members, means slidably connecting the inner ends of the members together, brackets mounted to the end walls of said casket, said brackets connecting the inner ends of the members to the end walls of the casket, lateral support members connected to the arms of the U-shaped frame members, said lateral support members being U-shaped and having tip ends, said frame members having apertures into which said tip ends are registered.

2. A casket bed as defined by claim 1 in which the frame members are tubular and a bar is connected to one inner end of each frame member, said bar being slidably engaged with the corresponding inner end of the other frame member.

3. A casket bed as defined by claim 1 in which the lateral support members extend inwardly from each arm. arm.

4. A casket bed as defined 'by claim 1 in which the brackets for connecting the outer ends to the walls of the casket are vertical and have each a row of hook slots therein.

5. A casket bed as defined by claim 1 in which the tip ends are bent downwardly and the frame apertures are vertical.

6. The combination of a casket bed and a casket having side walls and end walls, said bed comprising a longitudinally disposed frame, means for supporting the ends of the frame on the end walls, said frame having longitudinal members on either side, lateral support members having tip ends, said longitudinal frame members having apertures into which said tip ends are registered and which support the member cantileverly.

7. A combination as defined by claim 6 in which the lateral support members are U-shaped.

8. The combination as defined 'by claim 6 in which the longitudinal members are longitudinally adjustable and each comprise mutually telescopical sections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner J. B. MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

